Chapter 82

On the training ground, the archery targets used for practice still moved at an imperceptible speed. Lu Zheng took a deep breath, drew his bow, and shot ten arrows in one breath. Each arrow hit the nose of the beast pattern on the target, neither to the left nor to the right. As the days of practicing archery grew longer, his arm strength gradually increased, and his body became much stronger and more agile.

The last time Li Yi said that Lu Zheng had completed his archery training, it did not mean that he would no longer need to practice. On the contrary, he still had to complete two hundred arrows every day. And unlike before when he simply shot two hundred arrows, now he had to hit two hundred times!

"Big brother, you're so amazing!"

Li Yi slowly walked in, and Xin'er had also followed her teacher to the training ground. She saw Lu Zheng's heroic posture as he shot arrows and clapped and cheered.

Li Yi turned and scolded Xin'er, "A girl should not shout so loudly!" Then he waved his sleeve, and the targets and bows disappeared. The sound of hooves echoed, and a white horse emerged from the void, its body as white as snow, dazzling to the eye. It was the white horse that Mr. Yue had brought back that day, and both Lu Zheng and Xin'er were delighted.

When the white horse approached, Li Yi said, "Lu Zheng, get on."

Lu Zheng hesitated, "Teacher, I've never ridden a horse before!"

Li Yi casually replied, "That's why I'm letting you ride. Loosen your back, straighten your waist, and grip the horse's belly tightly. Get on!"

Loosen your back, straighten your waist, grip the horse's belly tightly—how could the teacher just throw out eight words and consider it responsible? Lu Zheng looked at the white horse, which stood quietly to the side, looking docile and safe. However, the thought of mounting this large creature still made him feel a bit nervous. He glanced back and saw Xin'er smiling, giving him a thumbs-up and winking.

Lu Zheng immediately straightened his chest, silently repeating the eight-character mantra his teacher had taught him. He thought he at least couldn't appear cowardly in front of Xin'er. He took a few large steps toward the white horse.

The white horse was already saddled. Lu Zheng thought he should greet this beautiful creature first, so he bravely reached out to touch it.

However, just as his hand approached, the white horse suddenly raised its head, neighing loudly and kicking its front hooves at him. Lu Zheng was startled by the sudden noise. Seeing the white horse's hooves coming at him, he quickly rolled to the side to avoid them. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and wasn't kicked.

The white horse, seeing him dodge, did not continue its attack. It snorted and slowly walked to the side, looking extremely proud. Lu Zheng, covered in dirt, got up from the ground, spitting out the dust in his mouth, feeling quite disheveled. The white horse looked calm, but it had a strong temper and clearly didn't want Lu Zheng to touch it.

Thinking about how his embarrassing moment had been seen by his teacher and Xin'er, Lu Zheng felt a bit depressed, his face turning red. A mere horse looked down on him so much! Anger rose in his heart, and he suddenly felt a surge of courage. He ran a few steps to the white horse and reached out to grab the saddle. The white horse had already sensed him and swayed its body, but Lu Zheng's grip was empty. He was frustrated and moved too quickly, losing his balance and almost falling flat on his face.

The white horse looked back at him, neighed again, as if mocking him, and walked a few steps away. Lu Zheng, surprised by the horse's agility, was now determined. He ran a few steps and lunged at the horse's neck, moving very quickly.

The white horse, having dodged Lu Zheng twice, was a bit complacent. It casually moved its body, but this time it didn't dodge, and Lu Zheng grabbed its neck firmly.

Li Yi, standing nearby, saw Lu Zheng fly and grab the horse's neck, frowned, and shouted, "Be careful!"

Lu Zheng, hugging the horse's neck, was overjoyed, thinking, "You looked down on me, but now I've caught you." He heard his teacher's warning and wondered what he needed to be careful about. Suddenly, the white horse started running, and Lu Zheng was thrown up and down. The horse ran so fast, like a white lightning bolt, making Lu Zheng scream in fear.

The white horse, though calm, was actually the king of all horses, found by Yue Zhongping with great effort. It was extremely proud and majestic. It was obedient to Yue Zhongping, but it wouldn't look down on Lu Zheng. Even when Lu Zheng approached, it would unwillingly walk away. Now, being caught off guard and grabbed firmly, it was enraged and went wild.

The white horse ran like lightning, neighing wildly, and occasionally reared up to try to throw Lu Zheng off. Lu Zheng initially wanted to let go, but the horse moved so fast that he couldn't. He didn't dare let go while the horse was running so fast, or he would be thrown off. After a few screams, he tightly hugged the horse's neck, his feet dangling, and his body pressed against the horse's belly.

The white horse wouldn't allow Lu Zheng to cling to it. It galloped around the training ground, jumping and turning, making Lu Zheng feel like his intestines were about to come out. The wind blew against his face, making it hard to breathe. Fortunately, his arm strength from archery was strong, and he held on tightly to the horse's neck, preventing him from falling.

Seeing Lu Zheng half-hanging on the galloping white horse, Xin'er was terrified, her hands sweating, her heart almost jumping out of her throat. She kept murmuring, "Big brother, hold on! Big brother, hold on!"

After a while, as Lu Zheng's arm strength weakened, the white horse suddenly made a sharp turn, shook its back, and Lu Zheng's hands slipped. He was thrown off like a kite with a broken string.

Li Yi had seen this and hummed, "Overestimating yourself!" He moved, appeared in the air, caught Lu Zheng, and gently placed him on the ground.

Lu Zheng lay on the ground, pale, gasping for breath, completely exhausted and unable to speak. After resting for a while, he slowly recovered. Xin'er had already brought him a cup of tea, which he sipped slowly.

At this moment, if he had gulped down the tea, his teacher would have immediately scolded him. In the etiquette of dining, it was never allowed to eat or drink hastily, especially after intense exercise.

Seeing Lu Zheng recover, Li Yi said, "The first lesson in riding is to tame this horse. Come tell me when you can ride it." Then he left with Xin'er.

Lu Zheng, after seeing his teacher off, lay down to rest for a while. Feeling his strength returning, he got up and looked for the white horse.

The white horse was at the other end of the training ground. As Lu Zheng stood up, the horse immediately raised its head, and they locked eyes.

Lu Zheng thought, "You don't move, I won't move. Whoever moves first loses!"

Whether it was the horse's intelligence or the mutual gaze, the horse also remained still, as if understanding Lu Zheng's intention.

After two hours, Lu Zheng was drenched in sweat. The intense jostling had left him weak, and his legs were trembling. But he refused to lose to the horse, forcing himself to stand, sweat pouring down, his neck aching and stiff.

After another half an hour, Lu Zheng's legs finally reached their limit. Even if he gritted his teeth, his legs gave out, and he fell to the ground, losing the standoff.

The white horse, seeing this, neighed happily and ran around the training ground, passing by Lu Zheng repeatedly, looking extremely pleased, which infuriated Lu Zheng, who was lying on the ground.

From that day on, Lu Zheng and the white horse were locked in a battle of wills, each trying to outdo the other!

The teacher said to tame the horse, which meant being able to ride it. At first, Lu Zheng thought he could simply pounce on the horse's back, grab the mane, and stay on no matter what, to tame the white horse.

But among all living things, horses are the most selective about their owners. This white horse, being the king of all horses, was especially proud and noble, and ordinary people couldn't even approach it.

At first, Lu Zheng tried to ride the white horse from the front, but the horse wouldn't let him. It would either kick or run away, giving him no chance.

So Lu Zheng had to carefully observe and look for opportunities, sneaking up on the horse when it was eating or napping, then pouncing on its back. But the white horse was too fast, and every time he pounced, he missed. Instead, it angered the horse, which chased him around the training ground several times, knocking him down with its head.

Fortunately, the training ground was created by his teacher's illusion, so every time Lu Zheng fell, it was soft and painless. Otherwise, he would have been broken and bruised.

Knowing that his teacher was protecting him, Lu Zheng became bolder, looking for every opportunity to pounce on the white horse. Gradually, he learned some techniques and became more accurate. However, several times when he thought he had succeeded, the horse would suddenly accelerate, making him miss.

After a few such attempts, Lu Zheng realized that the horse was playing with him. With its speed, it was impossible for him to catch it, but it would let him get closer and then escape at the last moment, just to mock him and show off its speed. As a result, Lu Zheng fell many times, though it didn't hurt much, he was always covered in dirt.